


Magpie

by Casey_Wolfe



Series: Magpie [1]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Courtship (minor), Fluff, M/M, Mating Bond, Romance, Shapeshifter!Speirs, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 18:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6531166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_Wolfe/pseuds/Casey_Wolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things go missing in Easy Company.  Lipton was not expecting this as the explanation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Magpie

**Author's Note:**

> This all came about cause of a post on Tumblr that called Speirs a magpie. Which of course my brain went, “But what if he was actually a magpie?” And now we have this utter piece of trash.

They were in Bastogne when it started happening.  Random items were going missing.  Lipton had written it off as his men being stressed and forgetful.  Dropping things in the snow during a skirmish was highly likely and honestly they had more important things to worry about.

“Captain Speirs,” Luz asked.  “Do you have any cigarettes sir?”  Speirs nodded, reaching into his jacket.  “Thank you sir.  Lip’s been stealing mine since…”  He drifted off, not wanting to talk about the incident still fresh in all their minds.

When Speirs pulled out the pack, something fell from his jacket.  Luz bent to pick it up, looking as though he’d seen a ghost.  “Hey, are these…?  These aren’t Toye’s are they?”  He held the brass knuckles out for Speirs to see.

“Oh.”  Speirs took them, turning them over in his hand.  “Yeah.  I, uh, found them a while ago.  Meant to get them back to him but I must have forgotten.”  His frown deepened.  “I guess I should see if Winters can get them back to him.”

Speirs seemed to remember himself, focus forced away from the shiny object and to the cigarette pack.  “Uh, here.  Just take the pack.”

“Thank you sir,” Luz replied.

Lipton watched from nearby, unseen, as Speirs walked off, turning the brass knuckles over in his hand again, seemingly entranced.  “Well that was strange,” Lipton muttered to himself.  Not that he was about to say anything.  The Dog Company CO had a reputation and Lipton wasn’t about to be the one to test it.

* * *

“Sir,” Lipton spoke up from his place on the old couch.  Speirs looked up from his maps.  “I’ve been meaning to say something.  The men keep coming up with things missing sir.”

“What kind of things?”  Speirs moved around the table, half sitting, half leaning against it.

“Personal items mostly sir.  No gear.”  Lipton sighed.  “Honestly I thought it was just our situation at Bastogne but it’s still going on.”

Speirs crossed his arms, looking serious.  “Do you suspect someone of stealing these things?”

“Can’t really say sir.”

Speirs nodded after a moment.  “Well, have the platoon leaders get a list of things missing and we’ll see if we can figure out what is going on.  There must be some explanation for it.”

“I’ll get on that sir.”  Lipton started to get up only to be pushed back down to the couch.

“Rest, First Sergeant,” Speirs chided.  “You’re no good to anyone if you don’t get better.”

Lipton  _ did  _ feel like crap- the pneumonia was really kicking his ass- so he didn’t argue with his new CO.

He must have drifted off for a little while because when he opened his eyes next there was a pack of cigarettes and a flask sitting next to him on the stand.  Lipton open the flask, taking a sniff and smiling as the aroma of whisky crossed his nose.

_ Whose flask is this?  _ he wondered, but there were no distinguishing marks on it.  As he was taking a drink, Speirs walked in.

Speirs’ expression softened as he inquired, “Good?”

Well, that solved the mystery of who left it.  “It is,” Lipton assured.  “Thank you sir.”

Speirs smiled at him- honest to goodness  _ smiled _ \- and patted his shoulder as he passed by.  “You’re welcome Lipton.”

* * *

Lipton was feeling better, which was good given they were set to leave town later that day.  He and the men had all gotten a full night’s rest thanks to Winters and Easy was in good spirits.  To top it off, Lipton had indeed got that promotion Speirs had mentioned.

As he and Luz were handling packing up the stuff at the makeshift CP, Speirs entered.  “I need you to run this to Major Winters,” he mentioned, passing over a bundle of what was likely to be intelligence and reports to Luz.

“Major?”  Luz’s eyes grew, looking over at Lipton and back.  Speirs only offered one of those smirks of his.

“Let me help with that Lipton,” Speirs offered, taking Luz’s place.

“You’ve been doing that more sir,” he replied.

“What’s that?”

“Calling me by my name instead of rank.”

That serious, thoughtful look was on Speirs’ face.  “I apologize if-”

“I don’t mind Speirs,” he assured, giving the man a slight smile.  “So long as it goes both ways that is.”

Another of Speirs’ rare smiles appeared.  “Yeah.”  Nodding in satisfaction, Lipton went back to work.  Speirs bent over to pick up one of the crates when one of his small supply bags dropped, spilling its contents over the floor.  “Shit.”

Lipton moved to help him, only to stop when he saw what said things were.  “Speirs, why do you have three lighters?  And are those Nix’s sunglasses?”  He picked up the shades that appeared familiar.  “And that’s Babe’s missing watch.”  Lipton gazed up at Speirs in shock.

“Shit,” Speirs hissed under his breath again.  He ran a hand through his hair.  “ _ Shit _ .”

“Sir.”  Lipton stood, fully focused on his CO.  “What is this?”  He couldn’t believe that  _ Speirs  _ of all people would steal from his men.

“It’s not…  I can’t help it, okay?”

Lipton’s brows lowered.  “So you’re some kindda klepto or something?”

“No!...  Yes?   _ No _ , it’s not…”  Speirs sighed, holding the bridge of his nose.  “I can’t  _ explain  _ it.  Not that you would believe me anyway.  It’s something I would have to show you.”  Speirs reached out suddenly and took his wrist, tugging Lipton towards the back door.  “Come with me.”

Speirs led him past a few buildings, into a half collapsed house well away from the rest of the battalion.  “This will work,” Speirs said, dropping Lipton’s hand and taking a couple steps back.  “Look, I’ll show you, but you can’t say a word to anyone.”

Lipton was more than confused by that point, but if he was going to get any answers he knew he’d just have to go with it.  “Alright sir,” he relented.

Speirs studied him a moment.  Apparently satisfied, he took a deep breath and then…

And then he was gone.   _ Poof _ .  Just like that there was a pile of clothing on the ground where Speirs had once stood.  That was when he noticed the bird hovering in front of him.  Lipton jumped, rubbing at his eyes.

It was a rather large bird, with a wingspan of at least a couple feet and a long tail.  It had black feathers with white towards the ends of the wing and on the breast.  There was the glint of blue as well, making the bird even prettier.

But how did-?  Did that mean-?  “Speirs?”  It was crazy to even think that but it wasn’t as though Lipton had any other explanation as to where this bird came from and why Speirs had just blinked out of existence.

The bird made a chittering sound before landing on the ground.  No sooner had it done that then Speirs was back, resting on one knee and naked.

Lipton’s eyes bugged out of his head, scrambling to get Speirs’ coat.  He wrapped it around Speirs’ shoulders, looking up to meet the man’s steady gaze.  “I don’t even know…  What are you?  How did you do that?”

“I’m a magpie,” Speirs explained, standing slowly.  Lipton caught his arm when he stumbled before regaining his balance.  “Well, a magpie shapeshifter to be technical.”  He reached down to grab his pants.

“Magpie.  Those birds that like to snatch shiny things.”  Lipton gave a huffing laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.  “That’s why you took those things.”

“It’s not always a conscious thing,” Speirs said, shrugging off his jacket to put on his shirt.  “Just sometimes the magpie takes over.  I don’t even know when I take things most of the time.”

“So you see something shiny and-”

“I take it.”  Speirs frowned.  “Doesn’t matter if I’m in bird form or not, I just end up swiping things here and there and finding them later.”  He appeared ashamed when he looked at Lipton.  “I’ll make sure the men get their stuff back.”

Lipton paused before stepping into Speirs’ space.  “I’ll help you out,” he offered.  “How about we go through your things every so often to see if we find something you’ve snagged?  It would help get the stuff back where it belongs and won’t let it accumulate then.”  Speirs only nodded, still looking a bit upset over the whole thing.

It occurred to Lipton then.  “Wait… this flask?”  Lipton pulled the silver flask out that Speirs had left him.

Speirs looked at it carefully before admitting, “I have no idea where that came from.”

“Why did you give it to me though?”

“You were sick.”  Speirs busied himself with his boots but Lipton wasn’t going to let that go.

“You could have just given me a bottle.”

Speirs bit his lip.  “Yeah.”  He tugged his laces sharper than they needed to be.  Straightening, he slipped his jacket back on while still avoiding eye contact.

“So why the flask?  Shouldn’t you want to keep all the things you collect?”

Speirs plucked at his sleeve.  “Magpies also collect things for their mates.”

Lipton froze.  “Your…?  But I’m…”

“Not a magpie.”  Speirs finally met his eye again.  “Doesn’t much matter to my bird half.  It knows who I like and so it’s going to show off the way it knows how.”

“Mates?”

Speirs tugged at Lipton’s jacket, making the man stumble into him.  “I’d like that to be the case,” Speirs ventured.  “I know it’s the wrong time, the wrong place, and I might be completely off base in thinking there could possibly be anything between us other than friendship but-”

Lipton cut Speirs off by kissing him.  It was quick, over before the other man could even react.  “I like you too Speirs,” he admitted.  “And no, it might not exactly be the right time, but I’d like to try.  See where this goes.”

Speirs was clearly happy to hear it, though he reigned in his excitement to ask, “What about…?”

“Honest?  I dunno what to think of this whole bird thing.  I’m just some poor schmuck from West Virginia.  I ain’t got a clue what to make of any of this.”  He gave Speirs an encouraging smile.  “But that’s okay.  I’ll figure it out.  And we’ll figure this,” he gestured between them, “out together.”

Speirs smiled.  “Thank you,” he murmured, pressing their lips together in a proper kiss.  “I’ll be a better mate for you.  I promise.”

Lipton grinned, their foreheads pressed together, arm wrapping around Speirs’ waist.  “I dunno Captain.  You’re already pretty amazing in my book.”

/End

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://thedenofcaseywolfe.tumblr.com/).


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